Is Oscar the cat the furry grim reeper?

Can a cat really predict someone's death? Well five-year-old Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny ability to predict when people are about to die.

The nursing home cat, seen here at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, in America has even had a book written about him.

"Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat" has been written by Dr David Dosa, who says that Oscar has correctly predicted 50 deaths in a five year period.

Oscar previously made it into the New England Journal of Medicine after the cat curled up next to 25 patients right before they died. The hospital even gave him a plaque for providing compassionate hospice care.

Dr Dosa said in an interview: "I wanted to write a book that would go beyond Oscar's peculiarities, to tell why he is important to family members and care givers who have been with him at the end of a life."

Oscar was adopted as a kitten from an animal shelter to be raised as a therapy cat at the nursing and rehabilitation centre, that cares for people with severe dementia and in the final stages of various illnesses.

When Oscar was about six months old the staff noticed he would curl up to sleep with patients who were about to die.

Oscar the cat

Dosa recounts one instance when staff were convinced of the imminent death of one patient but Oscar refused to sit with that person, choosing instead to be on the bed of another patient down the hallway.

Oscar proved to be right. The person he sat with died first, taking staff on the ward by surprise. Well, I love cats but Oscar can stay put for now!